Cohen/Peripheral Concerns, 1. Introduction and Overview

Although both the Early Bronze Age and the Middle Bronze Age in the southern Levant are described as “urban” eras, beyond broad superficial similarities, the urban character of each period differs widely. Rather than assume that this precludes examining the two eras together, these differences instead raise questions about the variables and factors that influenced urban development in the Bronze Age. This chapter introduces and outlines the theoretical approach used throughout this study to examine urban development in the Bronze Age southern Levant. This includes the implementation of a broad scale analysis of settlement patterns over long periods of time, the evaluation of the role of outside influence from one core culture—ancient Egypt—on these processes, and the importance of situating these developments within a perspective that views the southern Levant as but one small peripheral region of the ancient world.